Update on us.

First, Wow. And Thank You. I am overwhelmed by the kind comments left here and in my email inbox regarding our son's recent near-fatal accident.

We are all doing relatively well - the boys probably more so than My Old Man and I. They still talk about the accident some, but they seem mostly their usual selves (though Little Buddha is even more clingy than before). My Old Man and I are having a slower recovery - it is hard to describe the complexity of emotions that both of us seem to be grappling with - but we are slowly making our way back to some sort of normal. I am grateful for that privilege, because each day I realize that if our story had ended differently - had we not found Rob in time - I don't think I could've made my way back. I would have been living an entirely different life right now, with a thoroughly shattered heart.

In answer to the questions I have received about linking to our story. Yes, Yes, Yes. Please do. On your blog, on parenting (or other) boards, in emails to friends and family. I want to get the word out to as many people as possible that this kind of thing - though rare - can happen. I don't want another family to have to go through what we've been through, especially since most cases do not end as happily as ours.

I also want people to know that this kind of thing is totally preventable. It's easy:
1 - Don't dig holes deeper than waist-height of the shortest person around. The hole my son fell into was not terribly deep. But it was deep enough to swallow him up when it caved in.
2 - If you (or your children) do dig holes, fill them up when you're done. That alone would've prevented our near-tragedy.
3 - When you arrive at the beach, scout out the area you will be setting up in, checking for holes. Teach your children to come tell you if they find holes other have dug, and to not play in or near them.
4 - Keep as sharp an eye on your children on the sand as you would in the water.

I don't mean to be an alarmist. I realize that what happened to us was unusual. But it did happen. And it didn't have to. It takes very little effort to prevent this kind of tragedy.

One final bit of an update, to add one bizarre thing on top of another. As it turns out, the national media has gotten interested in Dr. Maron's recently published findings on this kind of thing (which I think is a very good thing). CBS is going to run a segment on sand hole collapses this coming Tuesday, July 24th, at 7:30 a.m. A camera crew came down this week and interviewed the four of us for the story. The whole segment will only last about 4 minutes and it will include way more than just what they filmed with us, so I expect that very little of the 3 hours they spent with us will actually air.

Again, thank you for your very kind words and good thoughts for our family.

The worst five minutes of my life.

Hi there! This is my old blog - in 2008, I moved to wordpress, and you can find the original post there.

In the meantime, please be safe! Sandhole collapses happen more frequently than you would think, and the majority of them end in death. There are four easy things you can do to prevent such a tragedy:
1 - When you arrive at the beach, always check nearby for any holes left by others, and fill them in.
2 - Do not dig holes any deeper than knee-high of the shortest person in your group. Yeah, I know this sounds extreme. If this feels more extreme than your group can accommodate, then perhaps you can at least stop at waist-high.
3 - If you do dig holes, fill them in before you leave. The hole my son fell in had been left by other children.
4 - Make sure any children you go to the beach with know that holes and trenches can be dangerous, and that they should let you know if they see any abandoned holed.

How to have a happy celebration: lessons learned at the beach

1. Be prepared.

2. Try new things.
Hold hands if necessary.

3. Start the festivities with a nap.
Preferably with other people.

4. Add some sparkle.

5. Write your name in lights.

6. Look super-cute.
Matchiness optional.

7. Get a little nutty.

8. Sleep like you've earned it.
You have.

Hope you had a happy 4th, however you celebrated!

Big Eyes

(Tiny Dancer, at 9 months)

So when I was growing up, my mother always said that my eyes were bigger than my stomach. I did have a tendency to load up my plate with more food than I could possibly eat. (Apparently, in recent years, my stomach has grown to accommodate this habit.) The truth is, this is the case not just in the food department. I really do have "big eyes" - wanting more than I can manage, in almost every arena.

These days, it is especially clear that this is the case when it comes to making stuff. There is simply no way I will ever work my way through my to-knit list and my to-sew list. And that would probably be okay if I could find a way not to make myself crazy in the process.

On Friday morning, we left town for an almost four-week trip. Right now I am writing from our hotel room in Washington, D.C., where we are for a denominational meeting. We were going to get here Thursday night instead of Friday night, but a major issue came up at work that required lots of time and attention and delayed our leaving by a bit. It was really good that we waited, because by Wednesday night, we were both so strung out there was no way we were fit for travel (and we couldn't have gotten everything ready for the trip without an all-nighter; as it was, I was operating on an average of 4.5 hours of sleep a night).

I had big plans of the things I was going to have made for this trip, sewing-wise. I even got some of them done, and will be showing pictures here eventually. But at one point, when it became clear how much we had to do before we left, My Old Man did say that I probably was going to have to stop sewing. I didn't stop, but I did scale back. A bit. Here's the breakdown:

Done:

• beachy wrap skirt (my own version of a Sew What! Skirts skirt)
• 2 beach hats (Amy Butler Blue Sky Hat)
• khaki twill shorts (Simplicity City Short pattern 3867)
• white crinkled shirt (my usual Simplicity Built by Wendy pattern)
• yet another A-line skirt, black with cherries (this has been done for awhile, but is meant to go with something else I've been making, so I haven't shown it yet)

Undone:

• navy eyelet sleeveless top (Simplicity 3867) - I'm really disappointed about this, b/c I had intended this to be a fun July 4 top)
• white city shorts (Simplicity 3867) - to go with navy top
• eyemask (from Amy Butler's In Stitches)
• Tempting - though it is done now (finished on the road), and let's just say I have had a major disappointment with how it has turned out
• Syrian Lace Shawl (but I gave up hopes of having it done for the trip a long time ago - I basically chose to work on Tempting instead, which I guess I now regret)

Meanwhile, remember that modest little summer to-knit list I posted awhile back? Just had six things on it - two pairs of socks, the Syrian shawl, Tempting, and two Tomtens. (I say "modest" but when I look at that list, I realize I won't get nearly all of it done as it is). Well, I can't stop adding to the list. OF COURSE. Because, you know, I have big eyes. So already, I've added the Swallowtail Shawl (I link to Minty's, because as far as I'm concerned, hers is the definitive version), because when I got this yarn from Nova, I simply had to. But then, I had some birthday money burning a hole in my pocket, and I'd been eying this yarn of Collette's for awhile, and I could no longer resist:

Merino Supersock Superwash fingering weight yarn, 425 yards
Brown and Pink
(possibly my favorite color combination)
This isn't a great picture. For a better glimpse of the color play, look here.

This is for socks for myself. Given my current lists, I believe they will be done by spring of '08.

There will be much to blog in coming weeks, both craft-wise and life-wise, but I'm unsure what my online access is going to be. I'll write when I can, read blogs when I can, and otherwise enjoy my vacation (we leave from DC on Monday for North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, and Alabama - Little Buddha has been rehearsing the whole itinerary, while Tiny Dancer keeps asking to go home). Oh, and I don't generally give crafting tips because I consider myself still a novice. But here's a little travel tip for ya: If you are driving 538 miles to Washington, D.C., and looking at the odometer you notice that you only have about 20 miles to go, and you then notice that you are still in Pennsylvania, and you then remember that you have to drive at least 75 miles through Maryland to get to D.C., chances are good you missed your turnoff about 100 miles back and will be getting in approximately 3 hours later than planned. You will, however, have afforded your children the opportunity to drive through 4 tunnels that they otherwise would've missed.

Mathematical equation:

2 grumpy adults + 2 high-energy 3 year-olds x 3 extra hours drive time + 4 tunnels - 1 missed opening conference meeting and registration + 1 mother's high-anxiety = "well, this will be a fun memory someday"

Ready for summer

pattern: Simplicity 4149
fabric: turqoise-ish batik, 100% cotton, from JoAnn
notions: none
modifications: none, but I am going to go back and add darts to the back waist to give a slightly more fitted look
verdict: Love it. I struggled with the neckline a bit, but overall it was quick and fun, and I'm thrilled with the outcome. It puts me in mind of the Emerald Coast, which is where I'll be in 10 days.

I wanted the batik striping to go vertically (duh), which meant adjusting my pattern-cutting. This was a first for me. I'm a bit of a rule-follower (which might surprise some people who know me in real life) when it comes to: knitting patterns, sewing patterns, and recipes. So to go completely on my own for the cutting made me a tad anxious. I survived, though, and am pleased with the results.

Also new for me:

Bust darts.
They make for such a great fit, especially with something that could otherwise be boxy. Darts, to me, are like magic. They really change everything about the fit of a garment. Let's here it for darts. Woohoo.

Thanks, y'all, for all the haircut love, and Simplicity 4111 love. Y'all make me feel so good.

She's not.

So last month, I posted about a shirt I made that I feared would cause people to ask the question, "Is she or isn't she?" (pregnant, that is). Nancy, whose version of the shirt (Built by Wendy, Simplicity pattern 4111) was the one that first inspired me to give it ago, agreed that this pattern tends to give that look. She told me that she thought it worked best with really light materials. I also got great advice from Deborah (on Wardrobe Refashion) to look at the finished measurements of patterns, rather than automatically using what the pattern suggests is my size based on my measurements. This is the single most helpful advice I have gotten since someone showed me how to thread my machine. So with Nancy's advice, I chose a gauzy embroidered white cotton fabric. With Deborah's advice, I ended up going down two sizes. The result?

My favorite thing I've ever made.

And look - it doesn't even look like a maternity shirt.

This was honestly the most gratifying project I've done to date. One really awesome part was that several people complimented my top without knowing I had made it. Of course my enthuasiastic response to such compliments was a bit over-the-top. The day after I made it, My Old Man and I took CJ out for her 30th birthday. I got dressed and came downstairs right after our babysitter got there. Here's how the conversation went as soon as she saw me.
babysitter: I love your top!
me: I MADE IT!!!
(twirl around)
babysitter: Really?
me: YES! I'M SO EXCITED!!
babysitter: Wow. Cute buttons.
me: I KNOW!!! THAT'S MY FAVORITE PART!!! AND THEY WERE ONLY 79 CENTS!!!
babysitter: Cute.
me: I'M SO EXCITED THAT YOU TOLD ME YOU LIKED IT BEFORE YOU KNEW I HAD MADE IT!!!

I might have used more exclamation points than that.
I guess I'm kind of lucky she didn't leave after that.

Honestly, though, it was really cool to feel like something I made looked just as good as some of my favorite bought things in my closet.

pattern: Simplicity #4111, Built by Wendy
fabric: thin embroidered white cotton, from JoAnn (non-machine washable)
notions: super-cute buttons on clearance at Hancock's
modifications: none
verdict: I think it's obvious. I'm kind of crazy about it.
I did learn, though, why it's important to follow the directions when they say to stitch the armholes and then stitch them again. By the time we got home that night, I had a little hole in one of the underarms.

Isn't this fabric dreamy?

My favorite part.

As you can see, I'm pretty dang happy with it.
(Or am I laughing at the fact that over my head is the caption, in Italian: Chicken! Soup!)

Orange you glad I didn't say banana again?

Well, orange you?*

Y'all, I made the most fun skirt I've ever owned.
Just a simple A-line, side-zipped cotton skirt, with a little rickrack trim.
And it makes me fantastically happy.

I found this yummy orange print at JoAnn on clearance for $2/yd.
Two dollars a yard!
I had spied it earlier in the season and thought it was cute, but I didn't think I "needed" it. Once it showed up on the clearance rack, though, I couldn't resist. This little skirt only used about a yard and a half. So I call it my $3 skirt (okay, okay, plus rickrack and a zipper - I guess that makes it my $6 skirt).

pattern: Sew What! Skirts, A-Line Skirt, Fitted Waist
This book doesn't really do "patterns" per se. She teaches you how to draw your own skirt patterns based on your own measurements and specifications. It is an awesome book. I first read about it here. I would highly, highly recommend this book for anyone even thinking about sewing a skirt. It was by far the simplest skirt effort I've made (I much prefer the size-zip to the back-zip of Sew U, though with Sew What! you can choose to do back-zip if you prefer. Basically, you can do anything you want.) I added the rickrack trim that the book shows on the "Singing the Blues" variation. I LOVE rickrack.
fabric: 100% cotton, orange print.
notions: black medium rickrack, black 7" zipper.
modifications: You can't really call anything a modification since the whole book is based on modifying everything to your personal fit and tastes. Still, after all was done, I did have to add darts to fit my waist a little better. In fact, I should probably go back and add a couple more. It's a tad loose (and I can't figure out why, since I thought I measured myself pretty accurately).
verdict: I LOVE this skirt. It is comfortable, cute, and a little bit sassy. I've gotten so many compliments on it that I just want to make more, more, more. The best compliment of all, though, came from My Old Man, when he declared it "perfect." Not bad for a few dollars and a couple of hours of work!

My original plan had been to embellish with an applique on one of the lower corners of the skirt (I've never really done applique). I cut a circle out of black fabric (about the size of a navel orange) and then cut a smaller half circle out of the orange fabric. I was going to applique the half circle on top of the black circle and then applique the black circle onto the skirt. But once My Old Man declared the skirt perfect as it was, I decided to stop there (I was a little nervous about my first applique attempt anyway). Now I'm having visions of maybe making an appliqued totebag with the black and orange fabric. In my head, it looks awesome. We'll see if I actually pull it off. (making totebags is kind of far down on my list right now since I have so many clothing items I want to make first)

Close-up of the rickrack.
I loooovvve rickrack.

So, there ya go. My first summery skirt. Can you tell I'm freakin' proud?


And now for something completely different.
Dude.
Look what I did.
Or, I should say, look what I had done.
Kind of by accident.

I went in for a pre-vacation trim.
I walked out two hours and a few inches later.

But I kind of like it.

*This is the punchline from the aforementioned knock-knock joke.
Knock-knock.
Who's there?
Banana.
Banana who?
Knock-knock.
Who's there
Banana.
Banana who?
Knock-knock.
Who's there?
Banana.
Banana who?
Knock-knock.
Who's there?
Orange.
Orange who?
Orange you glad I didn't say banana again?